Through the Youth Employment in the Arts (YEA) Program,
the IAC will support direct funding to Illinois not-for-profit organizations
to offer high quality employment initiatives (internships) for high school students.
These projects will provide youth with positive cultural experiences and paid
on-the-job training in the arts to enhance their personal development.
Applicants may request support for up to four high school interns per IAC program year. Recent high school graduates that have not yet entered college may be considered. The IAC program year is from September 1, 2004 through August 31, 2005. The IAC will support 16 weeks of an individual internship, up to 20 hours per week. The stipend offered should be no less than $6.50 an hour. Interns may only participate in one IAC supported internship per year. Internships may be staggered throughout the year, clearly indicate the start and end date of each intern on the budget page. Please note that funds will not be authorized for release until all interns have been identified and required documentation is submitted to the IAC.
No more than 16 consecutive weeks, up to 20hrs/wk, paid at least $6.50/hr
Any Illinois not-for-profit organization that is currently in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State is eligible to apply. Individual schools and school districts are not eligible for this program.
Eligible organizations may request up to $4,000 per IAC program year. Applicants are required to provide a cash match equal to the amount requested 1:1(50% IAC, 50% Organization). The match can be cash specifically raised for the project and/or from applicant’s current operating budget. For example, a staff person being paid $12/hour who works with the youth for 160 hours is valued at $1920 that may be put towards the cash match. Likewise, overhead expenses related to the project (i.e. materials) may be used to cover the match.
Funded projects will share the following characteristics:
- positive arts programming experiences that will result in one or more tangible outcomes for the employed youth
- guidance and mentoring of the intern by a supervising adult who is active in the organization’s arts programming
- clearly identified process to identify and select intern(s) to participate and match intern skills to planned actvities
making your program accessible
One of the conditions an organization agrees to in accepting a grant from the IAC is to make every attempt to ensure that the program is accessible to persons with disabilities. According to state and federal law, every organization receiving public funding must ensure that it is in a position to provide accommodations when persons with disabilities make requests for services. Accessiblity involves both location (the facility) and the content (the activity or product) of the program. Thinking about accessiblity issues, e.g., sign-language interpreters, cassette recordings of printed materials, audio description describers or large-print labeling in the early planning stages of a project, is the key to ensuring that persons with disabilities will be able to participate in the program.
July 1, 2004
For projects beginning after September 1, 2004 and completed by August 31, 2005
January 15, 2005
For projects beginning after March 15, 2005 and completed by August 31, 2005
- Complete the application form.
- Complete the budget form.
- Write a 2-page narrative addressing the specified points.
- Submit one copy of current not-for-profit status from the Illinois Secretary of State. What is accepted as proof of not-for-profit status?
- Assemble application packets with correct number of copies and in order specified.
assembly of application materials
- Original application packet collated and stapled in the following order: original signed Master Apprentice cover sheet, budget page, and application narrative. Refer to the Companion to the Application for attachment requirements.
- Two collated and stapled copies of the application packet.
- One copy of proof of not-for-profit status. What is accepted as proof of not-for-profit status?
Applications must be postmarked by the deadline. Hand delivered applications must be received by 5pm. If the deadline occurs on a weekend or legal holiday, the next weekday automatically becomes the deadline date. Applications may be mailed or hand-delivered to the following address:
Illinois Arts Council
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, Suite 10-500
Chicago, IL 60601-3298
NOTE: Applicants hand-delivering their applications must visit the building’s SERVICE CENTER on the ground floor to have their application package scanned prior to delivering it to the IAC offices on the 10th floor. In addition, applicants must bring photo identification, such as a driver’s license, to gain access to the IAC offices.
Applications are received at the IAC office and assigned an application number. Acknowledgment of receipt of the application will be sent to the applicant and will include an application number to be used in future inquiries regarding that application. Applications that have been ruled ineligible or incomplete will not be reviewed.
The Illinois Arts Council staff reviews the application in depth, insuring that it meets the program requirements. The applicant may be asked to answer questions or submit further written information.
Applicants will be notified of funding decisions within eight weeks of the application deadline. If funded, this notification will include grant agreement cash request forms, and forms to identify selected interns, which must be completed and returned. Once appropriate documents, including all previous fiscal year Final Reports, are returned to the IAC, it will be approximately ten to twelve weeks before the State Comptroller issues a check. Grant monies will be paid no sooner than 45 days before the starting date of the program.
grant notification requirements
Organizations that receive an IAC grant will be required, as part of their grant agreement, to notify by letter their state representative, state senator and the Office of the Governor indicating the IAC grant amount and the project or program it helps support. Copies of these three letters must be submitted to the IAC with the signed grant agreements, cash request and other required documents before grant funds will be released. Names of the individuals to be addressed can be obtained from your County Board of Elections or at www.elections.state.il.us
Final report forms will be mailed to grantee prior to the
project’s ending date and are due within 30 days after the completion
of the program. Failure to submit a final report jeopardizes the receipt of
future IAC funding.
Grant recipients must credit the Illinois Arts Council in all promotional material
and public notices in the following manner: This program is partially supported
be a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. (Credit is not required
until the applicant receives award notification.)
Any grant funds that are determined to have been misspent or which are being improperly held are subject to recovery according to the terms of the Grants Funds Recovery Act of 1984, as amended. Project expenditures are deemed to consist of grant funds in the same proportions as defined by the matching requirement for the project grant.
You are encouraged to print this section as a reference for completing the application.
It may be helpful to use the printout as a checklist for compiling your application.
two-page narrative
In no more than two pages, address the following points:
- Briefly summarize the program that will involve the intern(s).
- List the interns’ specific responsibilities.
- Projects that will have a returning intern must demonstrate that the intern is working in a new or expanded capacity.
- Elaborate on the potential benefits for the interns involved in this program.
- Specify where the activities will take place.
- Identify the organization’s staff that will supervise and mentor the intern(s).
- Explain the organization’s plan to monitor the work of the intern(s).
- Illustrate the process that will be used to identify potential intern(s).
- Describe how this internship will create new opportunities for your organization.
Budget guidelines
PROJECT EXPENSES
1-4 Intern Info
Indicate the start and end date of each intern. Show the total number of hours
each intern will work per week, the hourly rate of pay, and the total number
of weeks the internship will span. Use these numbers to determine the total
cost of each intern. The IAC will support no more than $2,000 for any single
intern and no more than $4,000 for all interns. Any costs above $4,000 are the
responsibility of the applicant and should be shown in the Applicant Cash Match
column.
5 Project Supervisor
Use the number of hours the Project Supervisor will spend monitoring the interns,
the hourly rate of pay, and the total number weeks for all internships to determine
the cost of the Project Supervisor. This figure may count towards the 1:1 cash
match required by the program.
6 Project Expenses
Specify any additional program expenses. This figure may also count toward the
1:1 cash match.
7 Total IAC Request
Total lines 1 through 4 in the IAC Request column. This number can be no more
than $4,000. Any costs above $4,000 are the responsibility of the applicant
and should be shown in the Applicant Cash Match column.
8 Total Applicant Cash Match
Total all lines in the Applicant Cash Match column. This amount must meet or
exceed line 7.
9 Total Projected Expenses
Total lines 7 and 8 to determine the Total Projected Expenses.
PROJECTED INCOME
10 IAC Grant Request
Indicate the amount requested from the IAC. This should be equal to line 7 and
no more that $4,000.
11 Applicant Cash Match
Indicate the amount of cash the applicant will be contributing to this project.
Cash can come from general operating funds, corporate, foundation, and private
contributions. The total of this line must equal line 8.
12 Total Projected Income
Total lines 10 and 11 to determine the Total Projected Income. This amount must
equal line 9.
13 In-Kind Donations
List any in-kind donations, indicating the source of the donation and the value.
In-kind donations are goods or services donated to the project that would otherwise
be a cash expense. In-kind donations are not required and do not affect the
cash match or the request amount but indicate the cost of the program.
An interactive PDF (Portable Document Format) file is availble for download. In order to open this file, Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer. It is free and easy to download from www.adobe.com
IAC STAFF CONTACT
Tatiana Gant
Director of Arts-in-Education Programs
312/814-6765
Tatiana.Gant@Illinois.gov